Swivel



0. HVSLEEPER.

SWIVEL.

APPLICATION man JAN. 10, 1922.

1,417,949, Patented May 30, 1922.

15104211201 0213K flee Jar PEYIENT OFFICE.

OTIS II. SLEEPER, OF EXETER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

SWIVEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1922.

T 0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, thus II. SLnnrnn, a citizen of the United States residing at Exeter, county of Rockingham, State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Swivels, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to watch swivels and the like. In such structures a hook is provided. with a spring controlled tongue or latch which yields readily to admit the bow or ring and yet immediately com pletes the retaining loop. In such devices a considerable strain is frequently sustained by the hook either by natural strain or sudden accidental or involuntary stress.

Such devices, established in general character by long and accustomed use have become substantially articles of habit in ordinary life. Their type and mode of operation are fixed by use and by conditions of manufacture. The defect in their genenal structure has been that natural. weakness which the csthctic in articles of ornament-ation has imposed on the mechanics of the useful.

Swivel hooks have been apt to spring or yield under sudden strain usually resulting in loss of the article sought to be guarded or at least in permanent disqualification in the article for the purpose for which it was intended.

My present invention contemplates a. watch swivel of the general accepted type but capable of withstanding not only ordinary use, but even violent tests whether acci dental or premeditated.

In accordance with my invention I provide the usual spring tongue which usually is a simple keeper with the added super function of completing and reinforcing the ordinarily weak hook so that it becomes in effect a complete and unitary loop seated in the retaining shell of the swivel and thereby becoming an anchored, and effective retainer atv the very point where weakness has been characteristic.

The structure and operation of my device will be made more clear by reference to the illustrative embodiment shown and described in the accompanying specification and drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings like reference characters are employed to indicate corresponding parts, and in the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a watch swivel in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 an edge view of the same.

Fig. 3 an enlarged fragment partly in section of the tip of the hook and tongue.

Fig. a an enlarged detail of the hook and tip, and Fig. tip.

As my invention has to deal particularly with articles of a rather fine or delicate character, I have shown in the above described figures an illustrative embodiment, a. watch swivel of ordinary type. Such swivels comprise a hook member H having one end fastened in a shell S and the other end usually inwardly beveled as at 71.. Cooperating with this beveled end it is a tongue T having a corresponding bevel and pivoted at P in the shell S. These tongues T constitute a latch for the hook H and are spring pressed, being kept in closed position by some sort of a spring. In the type shown the spring is a short spiral spring within the shell S. i

In accordance with my invention I form in the end 7b of the hook II an opening 0. This opening as will be seen by reference to Figs. 1 and 3 is so positioned that it has a slight downward slant. Brazed in the tongue T is a pin A which is so disposed and proportioned as to freely fit the hole 0 when the tongue is in its normal closed position under the action of the spring. The holes 0 in the pin A are set with reference to the pivot P so asto be included in the arc mrc described by the pin A on the sweep of the tongue. The opening 0 is preferably slightly oval. This insures free entry of the pin A and also permits the tip of the hook H to take up against the base of the pin A in the direction of the arrow Y in Fig. 3 whenever a strain is exerted as by the ring R in the direction of the arrow Z. In such cases under heavy strain the ring R will be seen to give very slightly, which causes a somewhat inward movement at the point, thus bringing the greatest strain on the pin A at its base rather than higher up.

With reference to Fig. 1, I have indicated an enlarged detail of the tongue at R a section of a ring or bezel just pass ing the tongue T. lt will be noted in this position that as the tongue is pressed back according to the usual custom. against the face of the tongue to open it, the ring R slips past the edge of the bevel portion 15 so as to just clear the pin A as the tongue snaps back against the bevel it. In practice the pin A constitutes a very small projection against which the bezel or ring has practically no contact in the ordinary hooking or unhooking movement.

When the swivel tongue T is in its closed position and with the pin A seated in the opening 0 the tongue T forms with the hook H. a practically continuous bail or loop supporting each other in such a way as to resist strains of a very considerable character and far in excess of anything actually needed in ordinary use or accident. Swivel hooks in accordance with my invention therefore instead of being the weakest point in an assembly becomes a point of strength without in the slightest losing any ,of its accustomed convenience or in changing long established habits of use in the public of this standard type of article.

Various modifications as to the manner and form of the inter-engagement and design and general character of the swivel may all be made without departing from the spirit of my invention if within the limits of the appended claims.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A watch swivel comprising a casing,

a swivel ring at one end thereof, a hook at I the other end of the casing and having an internally beveled end, a tongue pivoted in said casing at one end and having its opposite end out-wardly beveled and disposed to cooperate with said hook end, a spring for automatically closing said tongue out wardly against said hook end, a pin on the bevel end of said tongue and having its end lying below the outer surface of the tongue, said-hook end having a recess dis posed to receive said pin upon the automatic closing of said tongue.

2. A watch swivel comprising a casing, a swivel ring at one end thereof, a hook at the other end thereof and terminating in an internally beveled portion, a tongue pivoted at its'lower end within said casing and terminating at its opposite end in an outwardly beveled portion corresponding to the internal beveled portion of the hook end, a spring for automatically closing said tongue outwardly against said hook end, one of said beveled portions having a pin and the other beveled portion having a recess disposed to receive said pin, the end of said pin lying below the thicker part of the bevel so as not to interfere with the free entry into the bow of the article to be locked.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. oTIs H; SLEEPER.

Witnesses i GEORGE TODD,

PERLEY B; SLEEPER. 

